It's too bad Milwaukee doesn't get enough attention for that comment to stand without requiring you to specify the team. The kid has had a fantastic season. Never would have thought last season he'd be out-blocking the Serge Protector.

The Bucks are in a rebuilding phase. And with the recent firing of their head coach, I hope they will become a very solid team in the future. As a Bucks fan, I know they will never be as popular as the Heat or the Bulls, but its always nice when someone knows what I'm talking about with the Bucks. Maybe we will win it all one day! But right now we are stuck in this void of not being good enough to attract stars. Anyway, GO BUCKS!

Avery Bradley. He's already a stud defender and while his offensive game isn't there yet, when KG and Pierce finally retire that offense is gonna revolve around Rondo, Bradley, Green, and others, and I think Bradley is gonna take it to the next level.

These guys will probably run a more uptempo offense, but I imagine the Celtics trying to maintain their defensive identity.
Rondo and Doc always talk about being a defense first team. They're all about getting stops when it counts the most - that's how they win games. See: this past week, when they started winning stuff again.

For sure, plus Bradley's on-ball D is maybe the best in the league and Rondo's ability to get in passing lanes is phenomenal. But when KG retires you can't just plug in another good big man, his help defense is what makes the Celtics a good defensive team. I'm sure they won't be the D'Antoni Suns on D, but they won't be a great defensive team without a great big man.

I did say that they will want to maintain defense as the core of their identity. Unfortunately, I too fear that without KG they will not actually be any good at it. KG's +/- stats and just watching the defense without him makes a pretty strong case.

Jared Sullinger - Kid has such an amazing upside. He rebounds the ball well, takes charges, plays great defense, understands the game really well, coachable, great P&R defender and such a hustle player. When he gets more minutes and starts to improve his mid-range shot and his low post game, I can see him being a 16/10/4 player shooting >50%.

Avery Bradley - He is the best on-ball defender in the league. His pressure on defense is a game changer, to the point where opposing guards have their forwards bring the ball up to half-court since he constantly plays full court defense. He has also displayed his offensive arsenal against the Hawks last year, putting up 28pts, showing he can hit from the mid-range, the 3pt range and is a great baseline cutter. When he fully recovers from his injury and returns back to form, I can see him being a big name in the NBA for sure.

DeMarcus Cousins - He has already showed how dominant he can be, putting up 31pts and 20 boards a few nights ago. He is a very good free throw shooter at the center position. For him to shine, he needs to be surrounded with the right people that can steer him into the right direction. His immaturity limits his potential. He is very similar to Andrew Bynum. Both players have the ability to dominate their positions but lack the motor. If he is put in the right system, he will definitely turn some heads.

I can even see Sullinger pushing 20 PPG, he is a really talented post-player and has great offensive potential. Plus, he has the ability to hit the mid-range jumper (and even made a three on Christmas), which makes him a constant option on offense. REALLY excited to see him develop, and hoping he'll be with the C's for the longhaul.

Love Bradley's D. That being said, I don't think he has amazing offensive potential. Sure, he has a few great scoring games, but he needs to be assisted most of the time, as he gets his points off baseline cuts and jumpers. As long as he keeps up what he has been doing, I will be incredibly happy with what he brings to the table: the relentless D and a complementary offense. My biggest hope is that he becomes a better ballhandler and passer.

With how athletic Bradley is I want to see him better at isolation and getting to the basket with the ball. He needs to work on his jumpshot but he is still recovering. He just seems so strong and fast I don't see what's holding him back.

My guess - and it makes me extremely sad to say so - is Tyreke Evans. In a few years, he'll probably be on another team that supports him, and where he doesn't have the pressure to be the #1 banana, and where there's a real coach, and where there's a real PG, and he'll be a perennial All-Star.

Andrew Nicholson from the Magic. The rookie is averaging close to 8 ppg, in 14 minutes of action. Going through his game by game stats, he has been very consistent through the year. Once he becomes a starter, i can totally see him scoring 25 ppg. He plays with such a calm attitude and with so much confidence.

Serge Ibaka. He's literally gotten 10x better over one offseason. He's now shooting and making 3's! He's had several games in a row now where he's averaged around 12 rpg, 18ppg, and 3bpg (only the last 5 or so). He's also getting pretty damn good in the low post. He's making shots consistently, and has become the third best player (IMO two-way tie between him and Westbrook) on the team.

My bad, now that I think about it, it's gonna be tough for lillard to get ahead of CP3 and westbrook in 3 years. I still think that irving will be the best pg in the east in 3 years (assuming these players don't switch conferences)

No, but more seriously, I think Luke Babbitt will in the next few seasons, as he is becoming more confident and comfortable in the NBA, he'll start just honing in and before you know it, he'll be shooting above 40% on 3's, and utilizing his size to get some boards. I predict with some more time, he'll be one hell of a sharpshooter.

Derrick Favors. He is averaging 9 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk in just 21 mpg. If he had to opportunity to play starter's minutes, then he could easily average 18 pts, 14 reb, 2 blk. I am banking on the Mavs signing him this summer. They need some strength in the paint.

If you double his minutes i don't think you can say his statistics would double, since he comes off the bench he plays against back ups mostly. But he is a solid player with some nasty athleticism. I could see something like 14p 10r 2.5blk with 35+ min.

Norris Cole is currently 2nd to last in the entire league with a -52.4 VORP on only 19 minutes per game. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics/_/sort/VORP/order/false Doesn't this suggest that he is a horribly inefficient player, and that the Heat would be better off with having almost anyone else on the floor? Cole looked really good in his first few games last season, but it seems like he hasn't gone anywhere yet. I really haven't watched him play much this year though, so maybe I'm missing something.

He is just bricking almost every shot.
His defense on the other hand is sometimes close to spectacular.
In one of their Brooklyn games he was able to contain DWills drives pretty easily. He has great footwork and doesnt jump at fakes.
He would be a top PG if he was any good on offense.

almost every pg he played against. The Brooklyn game was just a bit memorable because he did it throughout the game and not just for a few possessions.
Cole and Joel Anthony are often a big defensive spark for the Heat. Chalmers isn't nearly as quick as Cole and he hustles a lot less.

I think Kyle Korver will break out to become an amazing player. I know he is already pretty good but you can not compare him to Kobe, Melo, or KD. I think he will grow to become an elite player to any team that gets the chance to have him.

In Miami the obvious choice is Norris Cole. If he works on his shot, develops his court vision and can get some force behind his passes (lot of ifs), this can become a very promising PG. Chalmers is still a couple of steps ahead of him, but he has more potential.

He's carrying a heavy weight on the Twolves right now, and is actually managing the load quite well. He has shown great court vision, eclipsing 10 assists several times at the SG position. Additionally, he is not afraid of taking big shots, and he definitely has the ability to create his own. He is doing a lot of great things, and I personally believe he will become consistent.